After bringing a Senate race in a traditional Republican bastion down to the wire, it’s not surprising that a growing chorus is calling for Rep. Beto O’Rourke to run for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020. His campaign’s near-success, along with his charismatic personality and compelling background, has led people to label him a “Democratic darling” and a “rising star”. Despite the praise he has expressed that he is firmly against running for President, citing the desire for time with his young children.
While O’Rourke may not run for President in two years, he is the perfect candidate for the vice presidential nomination, especially considering the current front-runners to join him on the Democratic ticket.
O’Rourke’s background may draw voters in key portions of the electorate: Texans, Latinos and those who oppose President Trump’s immigration policies. O’Rourke is Irish Catholic, but he was born in the battleground state of Texas, grew up in the border city of El Paso, and has represented that city in Congress since 2013 (as he ran for Senate this year, he did not seek re-election in the House, so he will be out of office in January). He is fluent in Spanish, and he used to moonlight as a punk rock guitarist.
No Democrat has won Texas’ massive bounty of 38 Electoral College votes since Jimmy Carter in 1976, although some have come close in subsequent years. Given O’Rourke’s unexpected near-victory, some Democrats are wondering if their party may have a chance in the Lone Star State in 2020. Nominating O’Rourke to be Vice President would certainly help convince on-the-fence Texans, who may take comfort in the fact that someone who understands their state’s interests will be next to the President.
O’Rourke’s campaign this year depended on support from Latino voters, and early analysis shows that 2018 “Latino turnout matched that of the 2016 presidential election, when turnout is generally higher,” according to the Dallas Morning News. El Paso County alone had a 186 percent increase from 2014 in Latino voter turnout. As the Latino population nationwide grows, it has become an increasingly important segment of the population to win over. Hillary Clinton chose Sen. Tim Kaine as her running mate in 2016 partly because of Kaine’s fluency in Spanish.
O’Rourke’s Spanish speaking ability was important to his success in winning Latinos support; he released a television ad completely in Spanish and called for two of the debates with his opponent, Sen. Ted Cruz, to be held in Spanish. His bilingualism and upbringing in a city that is 80 percent Hispanic would likely be used to the same effect in 2020, and would likely be effective. It would be especially potent at a time when, according to a recent poll by the Pew Research Center, Latino voters are increasingly being driven towards the Democratic Party due in large part to President Donald Trump’s actions on immigration.
But beyond his upbringing, O’Rourke is just the type of down-to-earth, charismatic, likable candidate that Democrats need on the campaign trail. His “promise of compassion” rang true with some voters interviewed by the Washington Post. The praise for his demeanor continued in editorial pages and even among celebrities; the Houston Chronicle wrote of his “unaffected eloquence,” the Dallas Morning News said that O’Rourke has “a demeanor that offers respect for each person and a humbleness that will allow him to open the door to working with those who hold political views different from his,” and singer Willie Nelson, who campaigned for O’Rourke, spoke of the candidate’s “energy and integrity that is completely genuine.”
O’Rourke campaigned on the ground in all of Texas’ counties during the Senate race, demonstrating energy and accountability to voters. He especially appeals to the progressive, anti-establishment wing of the Democratic party that Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) began to stoke in 2016; O’Rourke spurned special interest money, refusing contributions from PACs, but still raised the most for a Senate campaign in history.
One blemish on his record — two arrests in his youth — may actually turn out to be a benefit if spun right. He has publically addressed them since he began his political career, a move which might make him seem more transparent to voters. His brushes with the law could also appear to demonstrate that he understands the plight of those who have been arrested.
In addition, O’Rourke is different from the candidates who seem to be frontrunners for the presidential nomination in one important respect: age. O’Rourke would be 48 on Election Day, which would make him the third-youngest Vice President. Younger energy would be especially important during the campaign and in office if the Democratic nominee ends up being much older. According to a CNN poll last month, 33 percent of Democratic voters prefer former Vice President Joe Biden for the nomination, and Sanders was in second place, with 13 percent. Though 77-year old Sanders has demonstrated an ability to fire up young crowds, his age creates a divide not only from young people, but also, crucially, from middle-aged voters. Biden is not much younger, at 75.
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, Democrats need to alleviate fears that the Democratic party is once again alienating the progressive left. O’Rourke is seen as a progressive and ran as one this year. He supports “universal health care, an assault weapons ban, abortion rights, and a higher minimum wage,” according to NPR. If the Democrats nominate a member of the party who is outside of the progressive movement, such as Biden, Senator Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), or Senator Cory Booker (D-N.J.), O’Rourke’s political views would help placate critics. It would begin to heal the rifts that opened in 2016 during Sanders’ “political revolution” against the establishment when it came to light that Democratic party chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz favored Clinton’s campaign.
All told, O’Rourke appeals to many sects of the Democratic party with his political positions, background, and charisma. If the Democratic party can convince him to add to his current role as husband and father, he makes a compelling case to be the 2020 vice presidential nominee.
Image Credit: Flickr / Inter-American Dialogue